DOX S P OT
ORCHESTRA FROM THE LAND OF SILENCE “Defeat the beast with the power of music.” For over 10 years - under the Taliban regime - music was completely forbidden in Afghanistan, including the studying of, playing or even listening to music. A few years later there is Marzia and the Zohra Ensemble, the first national all female Orchestra. In this bold documentary by Lucia Kašová, the Zohra Ensemble grows into a symbol of freedom and emancipation. The Zohra Ensemble enables 16 year old Marzia to live a more autonomous life in Kabul, while pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher. Before she came here, she lived in a village doing chores and herding cows, and she was expected to get married and have kids. Marzia’s enrolment in school stands on a fragile foundation, her parents might pull her out of the programme since the Taliban is regaining power in the village. Solely the Orchestra’s existence puts its members and their families under constant threat. The teachers
mention violent attacks, from daily oppression to deathly bomb attacks. Despite that, they do their best to keep the girls in school and work towards a new modern Afghanistan, an image they convey through concert tours around the globe. At the Slovakian Pohoda Festival, one of the biggest music festivals in Europe, there is a culture clash. With Oasis playing in the background, the girls put on their traditional costumes and perform an incredible concert for a dancing audience of all ages. When the group is supposed to leave for its next destination, four members have gone missing. They escaped from the hotel as they were about to get pulled out of school and be married against their will. Marzia and the others continue their tour with mixed feelings. Lucia Kašová (who took part in two live meetings with school classes during the doxs! festival) allows us the time to explore the story piece by piece, getting to know the members’ dreams
and hopes. She presents the topic in all its complexity without overdramatising. The Ensemble is portrayed in careful observations, sometimes from respectful distance but with great sensitivity in every scene. From the reveal of Marzia’s experiences to the teacher’s statements towards the media, this film presents different layers of communication that might have an impact on the Orchestra’s future.
be negotiated and reinforced, before it vanishes in a blink of an eye.
ORCHESTRA FROM THE LAND OF SILENCE is a documentary about contemporary Afghanistan that doesn’t focus on the Taliban but on the people affected by (and resisting against) their ideology. This struggle is not unique to Afghanistan. When the group learns about European history, it appears that fights for freedom are universal, and that freedom is a precious good that constantly needs to
The Doxspot column is published with the help of the doxs! festival for children & youth documentaries in Duisburg and other cities in the Ruh Area.
ORCHESTER Z KRAJINY TICHA (aka ORCHESTRA FROM THE LAND OF SILENCE), Slovakia, 2020, 30’. Director: Lucia Kašová, Production: Shakazulu Films, Pohoda Festival Contact: Alexandra Gabrižová, alexandra@discosailing.com
11 | Journal 01 | 2021
